Even amid last month’s government shutdown, the job situation remained relatively steady for Americans with disabilities, the U.S Department of Labor said Friday.

The unemployment rate for those with disabilities declined to 12.8 percent in October. That’s down from 13.1 percent the month prior.

Despite the drop in unemployment, however, the Labor Department said that fewer people with disabilities were on the job in October compared to the previous month as more individuals within this population stopped looking for work.

The news comes as the economy added 204,000 jobs and the unemployment rate for the general population ticked up slightly to 7.3 percent.

Federal officials began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

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